Obituary of Thomas Allan Weed

Thomas Allan Weed was born June 4, 1939 in Longview, WA, to Bob and Pearl (Bjelland)Weed. He passed away peacefully at home, surrounded by his family, on December 12, 2009 after a courageous battle with cancer. Tom was a loving husband, father and grandfather. He is survived by his wife of 45 years, Julianne, son Dave (Nancy), daughter Jennifer Scott (Casey), loving grandchildren Kayla and Conner Weed and Katarina Scott, as well as his sisters Barbara Arthur and Bette King. As a child, his sisters described him as energetic and feisty. Tom was the first grandchild on either side of the family so he was doted on and adored. He loved going out to his Grandpa Bjelland’s farm. Tom graduated from San Francisco State with a B.S. in business and a minor in math. Initially, he had planned a lengthy trip to Europe where he planned to buy an Austin Healy then tool around Europe. A blind date with Julie persuaded him to cut his trip short because as he didn’t want to be away from her for too long. While overseas, he drove all over Europe, finding Paris “kind of dirty”, Vienna delightful and ran through Checkpoint Charlie in East Berlin. Luckily, he was able to talk the guard into letting him back into West Germany and he was able to make his way back home to marry Julie on May 30, 1964. As a young man, he worked his way through college in the mills for Weyerhaeuser learning his trade from the ground up. In 1963, he was hired full time and his career with Weyerhaeuser spanned over 30 years where he was responsible for the acquisition and sales of raw materials, including the exporting of logs and chips. He enjoyed a brief retirement before going to work for Murray Pacific in a Log Purchaser/Sales position. In all Tom did, he was well respected both professionally and personally as a man of high integrity who was always willing to help others. A natural athlete, he was passionate about a variety of sports. In high school, he played football, baseball and ran track. He was a longtime member of the Twin Lakes Golf & Country Club. Whenever asked about his golf game, he always replied in disgust, “Lousy.” Yet, he kept at it in tournament after tournament. In addition to enjoying golf, Tom also loved being in the outdoors hunting, fishing, or just appreciating the beauty of nature. He always looked forward to fall because that meant it was hunting season with his friends, as well as his son. Mounted heads of antelopes and a goat attest to his hunting skill. Fishing trips to British Columbia and Alaska were special outings, especially the trip to Ketchikan with his son a few years ago. He kept the family well fed with hundreds of pounds of halibut and salmon. His outings to hunt Brandt and ducks were also favorite pastimes. Though he was a quiet man, he loved his children and grandchildren without reserve, always making sure to give them a hug before going anywhere. When David was young, Tom coached many of his baseball and football teams. Although he didn’t like the idea of coaching screaming girls, he always made it to Jenny’s softball games to root her on. He loved it when Jenny was little and would dance on his feet to country music. It made him even happier to embarrass her in high school with this fact. In later life, he adored his “Princesses”, Kayla and Katarina and his “Buddy,” Conner. Nothing brought a smile to his face like seeing his grandchildren and they deeply loved him in return. When his father passed away, Tom shared his vision of a life well lived. He explained, “If you can count on one hand how many friends you have, a friend you will do anything for, that’s all you ever need.” At his request, there will be no formal services. A donation to a charity of your choice may be made in his name.